“Is it Kairhyse?”
I take a single step forward, sprinting to them and placing myself between Sydni and the girl. The sudden movement causes my butterfly to gasp in surprise.
“How the fuck do you know that?” I grind through my teeth. “Don’t be coy either, I want to?—”
“Holy Thaldris himself.” She shakes her head and laughs through her words. “Here I thought I’d have to be one of you land-fuckers for longer than a day… Belial must be looking out for her.”
Chills ripple through me, coursing up and down my body more than twice, from head to toe.
“I know where Xeraphine is.”
I release a shaky breath.
“And before you ask, yes, I’ll take you to her.”
Chapter 18
Xeraphine
“We’ve been in bed for a long time,” Kairhyse whispers against my hair, his fingers drawing a line down my bare arm.
Rubbing my nose against his collar, I move up and bury my face into the curve of his neck. I don’t respond. I’ve listened to my own thoughts and heard my voice too much over the past who knows how long. All I want now is silence and his stupid jokes.
“Someone has to find that damn cat of ours,” he continues. “I also need to pick up your princess.”
I freeze; an uneasy tension crawling up my back just as my heart begins to race. An overwhelming sense of worry and restlessness makes my skin crawl. “No, no. W-We can go get her. Together.”
His chest rises with his laugh. “Don’t worry about it, I can?—”
“No…” I cut him off. “Don’t leave, I-I can…”
With a firm grip on my chin, he lifts my head to meet his gaze. “Shh, little demon, you are trembling. What’s wrong?”
That’s right… this isn’t real.
He recalls nothing of my birthday, and the events that happened after. All of this time spent here with him, it has been talking about everything we have already done. When I try to share with him what has happened to me, he just smiles and moves on from the discussion.
I’m unsure if I’m grateful for it or pained. I want to tell him everything, especially about the baby, to avoid facing the trauma alone. The only reason I’m ready to speak about it here is because I know this isn’t reality. There will be no judgment, no façade of comfort. I won’t see the aura of disgust or the conviction that’s always there—something I’ve always sensed, or felt.
It’s the same with love. I’ve run from the word and avoided expressingmy issues for fear of seeing and feeling people’s truths. All the deadly truths they hide, afraid they’ll tear me apart. But it’s those very lies they spill that do exactly that. Everyone does it, and that’s why I’ve bottled everything up, only telling Harper. She could care less about hurting my feelings.
Kairhyse was that way. I saw the aura he radiated when I told him everything those five had done to me. It wrapped around me so tightly, it left me petrified. He does care, and I know that, given time, I could have finally unlocked my gates for him. I could have allowed him into the heart I swore would remain locked, kept safe away from everyone. But now, that possibility feels like a lost dream. Like a life that was never fully mine to hold.
“Xera?” He pulls me from my thoughts. “You love to live in that beautiful head of yours.” The back of his hand draws gently down my cheek.
When our eyes meet, he doesn’t need to tell me, because I can feel that familiar tugging sensation on my chest.
“It will never be enough time…” I quickly pull him to me, crushing our lips together. “Keep me here. Don’t let them bring me back.”
He rolls on top of me, his tongue slipping between my lips and caressing against mine. “Please—” I breathe out. “Please, baby, I beg of you.”
“I’ll see you soon, my love.”
“No, no, no, no. Please, Kai. Just… Just a little longer.”
“Shh, it’s alright. I’ve got you.”
I’m greeted with a sharp,burning pain against my left cheek.
